


The Familiar Unleashed

by Draekmus



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Force Unleashed - All Media Types, ゼロの使い魔 | Zero no Tsukaima | The Familiar of Zero
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28016691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draekmus/pseuds/Draekmus
Summary: The Force works in mysterious ways.  When a failed mage’s ritual saves a Jedi from certain death, both lives are forever changed.  Armed with a new lease on life, Galen Marek must find his place in Halkeginia rigid society, or destroy it until he has one.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	The Familiar Unleashed

“Do not wait too long to contact me,” the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, commanded the young man in front of him: his secret apprentice, Galen “Starkiller” Marek.

The Sith shuddered, before vanishing away, leaving an exhausted PROXY to stumble off for a recharge.

His pilot, the blonde Juno Eclipse, stepped forward.

“Can you trust him?” she asked

“Vader won’t risk my mission, even if he has doubts about me. Have we arrived?”

Juno nodded, walking towards the apprentice.

“We’ve reached Corellia. They’re all here: Bail, and his allies. You have your Rebel Alliance.” She hesitated, looking down.

“Now… what are you going to do with it?”

Galen looked at her. He wasn’t sure, either.

“Just trust me, ok?” he replied, “I’m doing the right thing… for both of us.” His assurance was more for him than anyone else.

Juno relaxed as she walked off, to prepare for landing.

* * *

A young girl looked over the wreckage of the classroom, where moments ago, she had tried a basic alchemy spell.

As usual, it resulted in an explosion, completely destroying the classroom.

The girl fished a handkerchief out of her pocket, trying to nonchalantly wipe away the dirt from her face.

“What is the matter with you?” one of her classmates called out, a tanned, extremely gifted redhead.

“I guess I screwed up a little bit...” the girl replied apathetically.

“What part of this is ‘a little’?” a blonde, chubby boy asked, nursing a darkening black eye.

“Your magical success rate to date has been zero!” another blonde boy accused.

“Louise the Zero!” another classmate shouted, as the girl, Louise, pretended to continue wiping her face without a care.

Underneath her facade, Louise wanted to cry at the failure. Nothing ever went right…

* * *

“We agree the time for diplomacy and politics is past,” Senator Bail Organa said to the small group of people around the table.

“It is now time for action. If you are willing to lead us,” he looked at Galen, “then we will join your alliance.”

“As will I!” General Rahm Kota added, stepping out of the shadows, joining the group with the poise and grace of a full Jedi Knight.

Galen smirked.

“I thought you were passed out in the cargo hold,” he whispered.

Kota chuckled, “I finally came to.”

“It is settled then,” Bail continued, “My wealth will fund the Rebellion, while Garm provides our fleet, and Mon Mothma our soldiers. And, with you leading us, we have the power of the Force on our side,” he nodded towards the two Jedi.

“Then let this be an official declaration of Rebellion!” he pounded the table, “Today, we all vow to change the galaxy! And one day, the galaxy will indeed be free.”

As soon as he concluded his speech, multiple explosions rocked the hall, as Galen looked up to the sky in horror.

Swarms of TIE fighters and Star Destroyers blackened the sky.

“No...” was all he could say, realizing his betrayal.

* * *

Louise calmly descended the stairs from the headmaster’s office, as three of her classmates gathered on the staircase, eagerly awaiting her punishment.

“So, what’s the story?” the redhead snootily asked, “Another trip to the detention room, or are they finally expelling you?” she smiled mockingly, “Just kidding!” as both she and the blonde girl with them both broke out in laughter.

“They decided not to punish me...” Louise said in a monotone voice, causing both the redhead and blonde to turn in shock.

“What?”

“They said it was partially the teacher’s fault for making me do it, even after all the students in the class tried to stop her.”

Both girls remained silent, before breaking out into fits of giggles, infuriating Louise, though she hid her emotions well.

“I’m just having a bad day, that’s all...” she defended.

“Yeah, well you’re always having a bad day, aren’t you?” the redhead replied. “You can’t even get a true runic name, Louise the Zero!”

“Why don’t you be quiet!” Louise shouted back, her anger flaring through her façade.

“Tomorrow should be fun. I can’t wait to see what kind of familiar you manage to summon,” the redhead scorned.

Louise huffed, glaring at both girls.

“Oh yeah? Well, I’m confident in one spell, the summoning spell: Summon Servant! Just you watch, I’ll conjure up a familiar that’s divine, and beautiful, and powerful, and it’ll be better than anything any of you can cook up and THEN we’ll see who’s laughing!” she shouted, walking off in a cloud of fury.

Both girls continued to stare at Louise’s retreating form, before turning to the third girl, a blue-haired young lady with half-moon spectacles carrying a staff and readying a book.

“So, what do you think, Tabitha?” the redhead asked.

Tabitha only shrugged in response.

* * *

Galen heaved as Juno helped him into a chair.

He clutched his head. How could he have been so stupid? “They’re gone… Vader took them all…” he gasped, “to the Emperor.” Juno bit her lip in confusion.

“I don’t understand, then why would Vader let us attack so many Imperial targets?” she asked.

“To sell the deception!” Galen replied in frustration, “Credits, starships, Imperial lives, they’re all meaningless to Vader. Vader needed me to find the Emperor’s enemies no matter the cost, and I did exactly what he wanted me to do!”

He pounded his fist against the console.

“Yes… we did.” Juno replied, sitting down in front of the apprentice. “But now the fate of this alliance rests only with you.”

Galen looked up, directly into Juno’s eyes. It was clear now, what they both needed to do.

“We’re going after Vader. And the Rebels.”

* * *

Louise stood in the center of a group of students. Today was the summoning ritual for their familiars. This was the day that would determine a mage’s entire life.

This was the day she hoped she didn’t screw up.

“Louise the Zero,” a student mocked.

“What do you suppose she’ll summon?” another wondered.

“There’s no way she can summon anything. We’ll just have another explosion and nothing else!” a third student commented.

The redhead cuddled her salamander lovingly.

“With all the boasting, you should be able to summon up something even more amazing than this,” she teased, stroking her familiar.

“Well, of course!” Louise retorted haughtily, tightening the grip on her wand.

_Don’t screw up…_

“My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe...” she began.

* * *

“Go... Hurry!”

Purple sparks flew about, frying everything they touched.

“Protect the Senators!”

The sparks became more intense, concentrating between two points: The Emperor and Galen.

The former Sith could only watch as the Stormtroopers ran by, firing at the fleeing Rebels. He could do nothing but try to stave off the Emperor’s attack.

That’s when he felt it: the final act to atone for his actions.

Galen took one final breath, concentrating with all his might upon the vast amount of power flowing into him. He gave out one last shout, and opened himself fully to the Force.

The explosion was blinding, killing all the stormtroopers nearby and throwing both the injured Vader and Emperor away.

At the epicenter of the blast was nothing but a blackened crater. Not even the Force resonated within the area.

It was as if the spot was… torn away.

* * *

“Answer my guidance and appear!” Louise finished, bringing her wand down.

For a moment, nothing happened. As the students began to relax, an unholy cry could be heard: muffled at first, but quickly grew to be a shout with the strength and intensity of a storm.

The explosion that followed shook the very ground and unleashed a blinding white light, as the blast blew students away -literally.

Louise coughed as she looked at the center of the blast. This wasn’t like her regular explosions; it was much too large to have been caused by her magic alone. Then there was the crater. That had never happened before.

The noble blinked, waving the smoke away from her face. She was certain this was no ordinary accident.

Cautiously, Louise entered the hole, her ill-suited shoes slipping on charred ground. In the center lay a man garbed in strange black clothing with a white hooded vest. His hair was trimmed close to the scalp, so the color was indiscernible.

Louise stared in disbelief as it dawned on her that this was her summoned servant. Her teacher slid down the hole and, with a wave of his staff, pulled the three of them to the surface.

The girl continued to stare in disbelief at the man as his body remained still, like a corpse.

She summoned him. But who was he?

* * *

Galen blinked, as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight of the room.

_No... not a room…_

He turned his head ever so slightly, now aware that he was resting on a grassy knoll.

He was alive. Sure, his body felt like he had just flew through the Maw, but he was alive!

“You, peasant. Where do you come from?” a young strawberry-blonde girl demanded simply.

Galen shook his head, trying to remember how he wound up here. He was fighting the Emperor, then there was a strange green explosion…

_The Emperor!_

“The senators... did they make it?” he asked aloud, his breath ragged and labored as he forced air into his lungs.

The woman stared, frightened, before turning to a balding man nearby, her face a mixture of confusion and despair.

“Mr. Colbert, can I try the summoning again? This familiar’s a babbling commoner!”

The man shook his head. Galen noticed that, while he seemed to be dressed in odd robes, the Jedi could feel a strange power deep within him. Not quite the Force… but similar?

“I cannot allow that. The familiar summoning is a sacred ritual. Trying a second time would be a blasphemy to the Founder himself. Now, continue the ritual.”

“But...” the woman replied, as the man cut her off with a stern edge to his voice.

“Finish the ritual, or I’ll be forced to expel you.”

The woman hung her head glumly, before approaching Galen, who backed away in response.

“Ritual?” he asked, as Louise kneeled down to his sitting form. Galen’s only experience with rituals involved ancient Sith techniques. Yet, he couldn’t pick up any dark intent from the girl. Sure, she was angry and filled with self-loathing, but she wasn’t even tapping into those emotions. Instead, they burned inside the girl like magma, just waiting to be unleashed.

And there was something else… He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something about this girl. She was different than her peers. It was as though a mark sat upon her head. Yet, Galen couldn’t discern what made her so different.

The Jedi noticed that several other individuals her age snickered as she continued her advance.

 _I could always Push her away..._ he thought, but something held him back. For a brief second, Galen thought he saw a completely different face on her: one who was kind below her sullen, cold demeanor. Someone who felt trapped. This was enough to keep him from retaliating.

“You should be thankful for this.” she grumbled, causing Galen to blink.

“My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere,” she began, closing the distance between their faces, closing her eyes. “Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers, bless this humble being and bind it as my familiar,” she finished and, before he even had a chance to react, locked her lips with Galen’s.

The Jedi recoiled in surprise, startled at the bold move. Just as abruptly as the girl, this Louise, had kissed him, she pulled away, her face colored with unwilling resignation.

“Wha...” was all he could get out, as he felt pain, agonizing pain, coursing through his body. It was like being blasted by the Emperor, only this power... it was like the entirety of the Force itself, not just Dark Side hatred. His hands quaked as his left hand in particular began to glow, runes burning into the flesh, shining through the black gauntlets.

“What... Did you do... to me?” he growled, stepping forward, the ground itself quivering under his rage. He struggled against the pain, wanting to know what was happening. He reached towards the woman, Louise, now ready to pummel some answers from her, regardless of what she looked like.

Just as he grabbed at her cloak in fury, everything went black.

* * *

Galen gasped, as he shot up from where he was laying. As his eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings, the Jedi realized that he was sitting inside a small room. Nothing spoke of technology. Although, outside of the old hut on Kashyyyk, he didn’t know what to expect in an “ordinary” house.

But, the lack of any datapads, or any kind of advanced materials for that matter, was unsettling.

“So, you finally decided to wake up,” the strawberry-blonde said, her arms crossed. Galen now noted the clothing she wore: a simple black cloak over a button-down shirt and skirt. Socks extended up mid-thigh. Her body language exuded displeasure about the presence of the Jedi.

“I’ve thought about it long enough to get an ulcer, but I’ve given up; I’m going to have you as my familiar.”

Galen frowned.

“Familiar?” he asked, as the woman ignored him, walking over to a nearby armoire, and dropped her skirt.

Galen stared in confusion for a minute, then realized with shock what was going on. While he may not have received any information from Vader about it, PROXY was kind enough to give him information about the decency of human genders, namely so Galen could blend into a crowd, unseen. The one time he accidentally dove into a woman’s refresher for cover… his blunder nearly cost him the mission, and his life.

He turned towards the wall, not wishing to know what a person like that looked underneath. The way she disregarded his presence was disturbing. He shook his head.

While her callous behavior was directed at him, Galen could sense that he wasn’t the cause of her ire. She was more disappointed than angry, as though his presence was simply the latest in a series of failures.

The Jedi was pulled out of his trance as he felt cloth hitting the back of his head. He reached up, and pulled them off, noticing the black and white coloration.

 _Her clothes..._ he thought, as she began to speak.

“Wash those, then iron them. You’re a familiar, so you should be able to understand that.” Galen turned towards the woman, slightly annoyed at the tone she was using, like she didn’t want him here.

“Excuse me?” he said, just a hint of an edge in his voice.

The woman’s rose eyes twitched.

“Wash my clothes and iron them, familiar.” she said.

Galen gritted his teeth, using a meditative breath to dissipate his building anger. In his days serving Vader, this problem would have been so easy to solve. Just one move to collapse her windpipe. Maybe crush the heart or drop the armoire to make it look like just bad luck.

Yet, this wasn’t his way. Not anymore. Plus, this child was his best source of information at the moment. She was more valuable alive than dead. For now.

“First of all, I have a name. You can call me Galen Marek,” he replied, concealing his anger under an apathetic tone. He chose to use his real name. There was little point in continuing to use Starkiller; it would draw too much attention. Plus, it would give him a chance to lay low for a while, perhaps see the galaxy in a new way. At least, one that didn’t involve slaughtering everything.

“Galen Marek? What a ridiculous name.” she replied, tossing a pair of undergarments onto the Jedi, who carefully placed them as far away as possible.

“Tell that to the thousands of stormtroopers, countless Jedi, and Sith Lords I’ve defeated,” he said casually, turning towards the woman as he sat the rest of the clothes down on a nearby table. While it was a risk to brag about such a feat, Galen needed to test the waters, to see what kind of world this was. There seemed to be less of an Imperial presence, but the Jedi needed to know for certain.

More importantly, he needed to size up Louise herself. Would she be a hindrance? When the noble continued to stare blankly at him, Galen continued.

“Now, tell me: How did I wind up here? The last thing I remember was holding off the Emperor and Vader aboard a... Death Star.”

“I summoned you here, of course!” she replied matter-of-factually, as if that was the most obvious answer in the world. The noble frowned. “And what emperor? Of Germania? Who’s Vader? And what’s a Death Star?” she demanded, before shaking her head. “You’re talking nonsense, and I don’t feel like dealing with it right now,” she muttered sleepily, as she drifted towards the bed.

“We can talk more in the morning. Just wash those, and get them ready for tomorrow.” she muttered, slipping between the covers.

Galen shook his head again in frustration. He would get his answers one way or another. Yet, he was at a disadvantage here: Louise would be unwilling to divulge any information so long as she was in her element. Even choking her and extorting answers wouldn’t be very effective; while the room seemed quite primitive, it was likely that a place like this would have guards or witnesses nearby that would make his job difficult.

How could he move her into an environment where he could hold the advantage… As the Jedi contemplated his options, he glanced out the window and noticed that the academy was surrounded by dense forest. Not nearly as extensive as Kashyyyk’s, but it would suffice.

“You want your laundry done? Do it yourself!” Galen growled, snatching the clothing from the table and throwing it right into Louise’s annoyed face.

The noble immediately bolted up straight.

“How dare you talk back to your master!” She shouted.

“Master?” the Jedi spat, “The only master I will ever serve was Vader. I’m not your slave!”

“Yes you are!” Louise fired back, pointing to the Jedi’s left hand, “Those runes are part of the contract binding you as my familiar!”

Galen glared at the markings.

“I don’t care what these runes say; my destiny is my own! No one else will dictate my fate anymore!” With that, he stomped over to the door. Pulling on it, Galen soon realized that the door would not open.

Louise sat on her bed with a smug grin on her face.

“I always lock my room at night, just in case thieves come to my door. Looks like it can also keep unruly familiars at bay.”

Galen jostled the door a few more times, trying to upset the lock.

“It’s enchanted, so it is impossible to pick,” she said casually, “So, why don’t you be a good familiar and just wash those clothes for me!”

The Jedi turned towards her, smiling devilishly.

“Listen, kid, you have much to learn.”

He placed his hand against the door. Louise blinked, before laughing at her familiar.

“What do you plan to do? Break it? There’s no way a peasant like you could-” Her words were cut off as the door rumbled loudly, before exploding into fragments.

Louise stared in disbelief, before realizing that Galen was no longer there.

He was running away!

* * *

While he had regretted breaking the door, the Jedi knew that this was the quickest way to start the chase.

Still, the poor girl would be out of a barrier between her and anyone who happened by her room.

Once he cleared the stairs and rolled on the landing, Galen stopped to catch his breath. He knew Louise wasn’t as fast as he was, and would need time to catch up.

This, of course, meant waiting for her to get down here. Not exactly something the Jedi relished in doing.

He paced the hallway, taking note of a blonde-haired man and a brunette. The blonde’s arm wrapped around the shoulder of the brunette. Obviously a couple.

The blonde took note of Galen as he passed.

“Oh, you’re that peasant familiar Louise summoned,” he noted.

Galen glared at him.

“What of it?” he grumbled, annoyed at the man’s arrogant tone.

“How rude!” the man scoffed, “Troubling nobility, then being ungrateful towards them? You are truly the perfect familiar for Louise the Zero!”

“Zero?” Galen asked, “Why do you call her that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” the man replied. “It’s because she can’t-” Steps echoed through the hall, as Louise burst through the stairs.

“There you are!” she roared, rushing towards her familiar.

However, as Louise bolted towards the Jedi, she failed to notice that a stone in the floor had inexplicably shifted, causing the noble to trip right into the couple.

By the time she had pulled herself off the floor, Galen was, once again, gone from sight.

* * *

Galen continued his descent, emerging into a hallway with an ornate fountain.

He knew that Louise would be only a few seconds behind him and slowed his pace intentionally to allow her to stay close behind. But, even with his lax running, it would still take time for the noble to catch up again.

The Jedi studied the fountain, noticing that yet another couple was sitting upon it: both tanned, with the woman having burning red hair and a very… impractical body shape.

The two were so wrapped up in one another that they failed to notice Galen watching them. He eyed the fountain, as another idea entered his mind: something that would ensure Louise would give chase regardless of how far he ran.

With unnatural agility, Galen sprang to the top of the fountain, crouching on the peak, watching like a human-sized bird of prey, waiting.

As the steps of the noble neared, Galen clenched his fist. The fountain groaned, before cracking. The couple ran for cover as the central spire of the ornament crashed to the ground, dumping water all over the floor.

Galen leaped safely to the ground and smirked. Louise caught sight of him, and ran straight through the puddle, along with the blonde noble from earlier.

He laughed as, with a wave of his hand, both pitched face-first into the slick floor.

As soon as Louise looked up, Galen bolted out the open door.

* * *

Louise was beyond furious. Her familiar had damaged the old fountain and humiliated both her and Guiche. Even when wet, the floor couldn’t have been slippery enough to cause both of them to fall.

No, somehow, he pushed them both! He had some kind of magic. Of course her familiar would have magic.

But this time… with Guiche, Louise knew she could put an end to his antics for tonight! She turned towards her fellow noble, as the blonde raised his wand. Immediately, Galen’s feet left the ground, as he was suspended in midair, completely at the mercy of the nobles.

Louise could hear her familiar roaring in anger, as he struggled against the air to get back to the ground.

“Just give yourself up!” Guiche ordered, “This is the second time I’ve had to keep you afloat.” Louise smirked. Her familiar calmed down, and curled up. Good.

“You summoned a familiar that escaped?” Kirche laughed, as she and her night’s lover came out to witness the spectacle.

The noble glared at her rival, but noticed something strange about her familiar.

The air around him shimmered, as though energy… was… Her eyes widened as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Louise wasn’t sure why, but her instinct was begging her to move away.

“Guiche!” she shouted, “We need to back away!”

The blonde stared at her.

“Why would we need to do that? It’s not like a peasant can-” His words were cut off as an explosion threw the noble against the wall, knocking him out cold. Even Louise and Kirche were knocked to the ground.

Now free, Galen vanished into the forest.

Louise stared in disbelief. He had created an explosion. Just. Like. Her.

The noble stood up. She wasn’t going to let her familiar get away. Magic or no, she was still a noble! She turned towards Kirche.

“Tend to Guiche. I’m going after my familiar!”

“Louise...”

“Yeah, what?” she growled at the redhead.

“It may be best to wait until morning,” Kirche suggested, “If your familiar can ignore your orders, and explode at will, then he may pose a danger to you!”

“That’s my problem, von Zerbst!” the noble hotly replied, “Besides, if I wait until then, there’s no telling how far he could run away.” Louise took a deep breath, steeling herself. “No, I have to do this.”

Kirche frowned.

“How about this, Valliere? If you’re not back by sun up, Guiche and I will search for you. That way, if something happens, we can at least tell the headmaster what became of you.”

Louise stared at the dark, foreboding woods ahead of her.

She suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! This is a rework of my story "The Familiar Unleashed" over on Fanfiction.net. I've retooled the first few chapters because, like many of my readers, I wasn't satisfied with my initial representation of Galen Marek as a Familiar.
> 
> I want to avoid the classic "It's FoZ but with X instead of Saito" pitfall, so I'm hoping the changes I dash in will help shift the storyline away from being just another copy.
> 
> This is merely the first story arc in the series, and will consist of 20 chapters.
> 
> I have been working on this for years, before Disney purchased Star Wars (yes... it's THAT old), so it will be based heavily on Legends materials.
> 
> Thank you, and constructive criticism is always welcome!


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